Clete Willems Quoted in The Washington Post on New Member of China’s Trade Delegation
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Akin Gump public law and policy partner Clete Willems has been quoted by The Washington Post in the article “Trump team fears new face on China trade team signals tougher stance.” Amid an unexpected reshuffling of the Chinese negotiating team, the article reports that the United States is increasingly concerned about prospects for a trade deal with China.
According to the Post, China’s commerce minister has taken on a new prominent role in the negotiations. This comes two months after negotiations between the two sides broke down, with Washington accusing Beijing of having reneged on a preliminary agreement.
Willems, a former Deputy Assistant to the President for International Economics who served as a lead trade negotiator for the Trump administration, said the inclusion of Zhong Shan in the Chinese delegation could reflect internal Chinese bureaucratic politics as President Xi Jinping may be looking to add different points of view to his team.
“If Xi wants a deal,” said Willems, “he needs to have both sides bought in.”
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